Indicating and recording device



June 25, 1963 Filed July 28, 1961 H. R. CHOPE INDICATING AND RECORDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 25, 1963 H. R. cHoPE INDICATING AND RECORDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 28, 1961 FORCE GENERATOR P|EZOELECTR|C CRYSTAL TO MARKING INDICATOR DC -AC CONVERTER REDUCER MARKING INDICATOR IINVENTOR United States Patent O 3,995,254 INDICATING AND RECORDING DEVICE Henry R. Chope, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to Industrial Nucleonics Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 28, 1961, Ser. No. 127,651 7 Claims. (Cl. 346-32.)

This invention relates to a new indicating and recording device for reading out various physical variables. More particularly, the invention relates to a new self-balancing, feedback indicator-recorder whose feedback element is a solid state component.

In many laboratory and industrial processes it is necessary to indicate vand record on a chart various physical `and chemical variables. Various types `of recorders have been developed for such uses. One such recorder is the so-called self-balancing potentiometer recorder. This recorder indicates and records on either a strip or circular chart the -time variation of a given input variable or voltage. The self-balancing potentiometer measures an unknown voltage, ex, or some physical variable translatable into a unknown voltage 'by automatically feeding back a voltage equal in magnitude to the unknown voltage. This equal voltage is obtained by automatically moving a contact or arm across a potentiometer until the feedback voltage is equal to the unknown voltage. There iS physically coupled to the moving arm of the potentiometer or slide wire a pointer whose position against a graduated scale reflects the value of the unknown voltage or variable. The feedback voltage across the slide wire is made equal in magnitude to the unknown voltage by comparing the two voltages and converting their differences to an A.C. signal. 4The A.C. signal is amplified by a servo .amplifier which in turn drives a motor which repositions `the slide wire center arm to a point of null balance. At the point of null balance, the unknown voltage is equal to rthe feedback voltage. Although such recorders have found wide usage, they suffered from the limitation that the slide wire will wear after much repeated movement of its center arm. Such wear with time causes the slide wire to totally fail or else change its resistance and hence voltage linearity with respect to movement ofthe center arm.

More recently strain gauge elements have been substitutedin these self-balancing recorders. Strain gauge elements .are thin metallic lilaments whose resistances change as the filament is elongated or strained. In one embodiment of the self-balancing feedback recorder, -four strain elements areincorporated as legs of a Wheatstone bridge. The self-balancing motor causes the two opposite legs of the Wheatstone bridge to be strained in one direction while the other two opposite legs are slightly compressed. Hence, the resistance of two legs of the Wheatstone bridge increases whereas the resistance of the two oppositelegs.decreases. The unbalanced voltage across the Wheatstone bridge is compared to the unknown voltage. The difference between the unknown voltage and the voltage across the bridge is converted to an A.C. voltage which is Vamplified by a servo amplifier and fed to a servo balancing motor. The servo balancing motor is coupled through shafts and asystern of levers to the four strain elements in the balancing bridge. Such self-balancing recording apparatus -does eliminate slide wire difficulties `associated with self-balancing potentiometer recorders. However, the voltage range of unknown voltages that can be measured is somewhat limited due to the small 4dimensional changes permissible in the strain elements. It has also been noted that temperature changes normally found in industrial environments may cause considerable shifting in mechanical alignments and thus yield err-ors in balance positionv and indicated voltage.

The present invention described herein utilizes a solid ICC state feedback element comprising a crystal of piezoelectric material or a transistor to which a force is applied in accordance with the position of a servo balancing motor. As la -result yof the variable strain developed in the crystal by the variable force applied, the crystal develops or controls the magnitude of the variable feedback voltage in the servo system.

Piezoelectric crystals, particularly of the ceramic type, whose characteristics are well known, may be employed in the practice of the invention when used in combination with a suitable impedance matching device. A more sophisticated arrangement of the invention utilizes the well-known pressure dependence of the mobility of electrons an-d holes in semiconductors. The theoretical'analysis -of this phenomenon'is explained in the text by'W. Shockley, Electrons and Holes in Semiconductors, Van N ost-rand, 1950, Section 12.8.

In recent years the semiconductors have been utilized in transistors. Germanium and silicon have been conventionally used. It has been found that germanium transistors are limited to temperature regions below '106 C. Silicon transistors will operate at higher temperatures. However, they too have a maximum temperature limit. Gallium arsenide transistors and solid state electrical elements have been built for operation in higher temperature regions. As is well known now in the art, solid state electrical elements show `a temperature coelicient for their various -operating parameters. In circuits utilizing solid state elements it is necessary to either temperature stabilize these elements or to provide proper circuit compensation for changes in their characteristics with temperature. The gallium arsenide transistor and the gallium arsenide diode, as well as the semiconductor elements discussed by Shockley, have characteristics suchy that when a deforming force is applied, there is -a substantial change in the current throughthe gallium arsenide element. By constructing a gallium arsenide element in essentially the form of a transistor with base, collector, Iandemitter .elements, it was found that when very stable potentials were applied to two elementsof the transistor and the over-all body of the transistor held at a constant temperature, the current output from the thirdelement varied with small elongations or strains applied to its sur-face. Accordingly, this 4gallium arsenide element has been utilized as the feedback element in Ian improved Vself-balancing recorder.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a self-balancing indicator-recorder which eliminates both the self-balancing slide Wire and self-balancing strain elements. y

A further object of the present invention is to provide a self-balancing recorder with a gallium arsenide feedback element whose operation and indication are independent of temperature variations found in industrial plants.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a self-balancing indicator-recorder suitable for oper-ation in extremely high environmental temperatures.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention ywill become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a simplified view showing a conventional selfbalancing potentiometer recorder;

FIG. 2 is a simpliiied diagram showing another selfbalancing recorder utilizing a strain gauge bridge arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an improved selfbalancing recorder constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 isa sectional View partly diagrammatic of the novel feedback circuit utilized in the recorder shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic View showing apparatus for compensating the recorder of FIG. 3 for changes in environmental temperature.

Referring now to FIG. 1, voltage eX isrthe unknown voltage to be measured and recorded. RX represents the internal impedance of the v-oltage source. The voltage ex causes a current to llow through resistor R and cause a voltage e1 to appear across resistor R1. Across the slidewire is a voltage determined by reference voltage source 12 and resistors l13, `14, 1S, as well as the slidewire resistance. Movements of the slidewire arm 10a back and forth provide a voltage e2. The voltages e1 and e2 are connected in a bucking circuit arrangement whereby provided. In FIG. 4 this ditiiculty is overcome by utilizing a solid state device such as a transistor 60. The elela ments of transistor 60 are connected in a common c01- lector circuit coniiguration. The collector element 62 is connected to one terminal of a constant voltage supply' represented by the battery 64. The emitter 66 is connected to converter 17 and the base 68 is connected to the battery 64 through a resistor 70. A lbattery 71 provides the required collector-to-emitter bias. The emitter current Ie ows through a resistance 72 to provide a positivegoing potential e2 with respect to ground which is coupled into the converter 17. With this connection the transis- V tor presents a high impedance to the battery 64 and a low diiferences in voltage e1 and the feedback voltage e2 are Y applied to a mechanical D.C. to A.C. converter 17. Converter 17 alternates the ow of D.C. current through the primary 18a of transformer 18 to the primary center tap 18C. The output from the secondary 18b of transformer 18 is connected to a servo amplifier 19. The power output of servo amplifier 19 energizes a two-phase servomotor 2t) which when connected to slidewire arm l10a through proper gearing 22 and linkage as at 24 causes the voltage e2 to be equal in magnitude to voltage e1 developed across resistor R1. The position ofthe slidewire arm 10a is reflected on a scale 26 by pointer 28 toy indicate the value lof the unknown voltage ex. A pen may be attached to the pointer 28, and its movement back and forth along a driven chart 30 will yield a time record of the unknown voltage ex. Resistors 13, 14, and 15 are adjustable and determine the voltage range across slidewire 10.

Referring to FIG. 2, the feedback voltage e2 is provided in one system by disturbing the ratio arms of a bridge network constructed lof resistive strain gauges 32-38. A mechanical coupling unit 40 is driven by the `servomotor and gear box 22. Mechanical linkages represented by the dotted lines 42, 44 extend to each of the strain gauges and are constructed to compress one pair of opposite elements of the bridge while elongating the other pair. The dimensional change in the strain gauge element is reflected in its electrical resistance. The mechanical gauge element is reflected in its electrical resistance. The mechanical coupling is selectively applied with a given bridge polarization to insure a positive-going potential at terminal 46 with respect to ground.

The small dynamic range of this feedback arrangement and the inherent ditliculties of mechanical alignment render this device not altogether useful in all industrial enimpedance to the converter 17. Although the circuit is shown for an n-p-n transistor, the modifications necessary to utilize a p-n-p type will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The transistor 60 is typically encapsulated by a plastic material 74 to prevent moisture reaching the element junctions. It has been found that the characteristics of a gallium arsenide varactor can be altered by imposing a stress upon the transistor assembly as indicated at 76. This could be provided by a mechanical or hydraulic piston-and-cylinder or rack gear arrangements coupled to temperature-stabilized environment for the transistor 60 vironments. And the deleterious eifect of temperature Y,

upon the strain gauge elements may result in inaccurate or entirely misleading recorded indications of a process variable.

With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the present invention provides a feedback potential e2 generated by a piezoelectric crystal element subjected to the output of an external force generator 52. Force generator 52 is adjusted at 56 by the servomotor 20` through the gear box 22. Alternatively, other electromechanical expediente other than the servo amplier and servomotor may be utilized. The substance used at 50 may be quartz, tourmaline or other synthetic or semi-conductor substance. Piezoelectric ceramics and poled ferroelectric ceramics such as barium titanate may also be used at 50. Under the application of a force of, e.g., 5() milligrams, provided by the generator 52 to opposite faces of the crystal 50, a potential is developed across the crystal which is proportional to the magnitude of the deforming force. In the case of a quartz crystal, a mechanical stress induced along the characteristic Y axis thereof Iwill cause electrical charges to appear on the faces of the crystal that are perpendicular to the X axis, the two axes being mutually perpendicular to the Z axis of the crystal.

Since the impedance of the crystal 50 is usually quite high except at one or more antiresonant frequencies, the low impedance input of the converter 17 may load the element unless a suitable impedance matching device is and associated circuitry. To this end a thermally in1 sulated unit having an interior heated by an element 82 is connected to a power supply 84 through a thermoswitch 86. The state of switch 86 is controlled by a temperature sensitive thermostat 88 mounted in the interior of unit 80. Therefore with the operating temperature of the transistor stabilized, its characteristics are a function only of the deforming stress exerted by the servomotor 20.

' Although certain and specic embodiments have been shown, modifications may be made thereto without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a self-balancing electrical instrument for indicating the value of a signal having an unknown magnitude, said instrument having means for comparing said signal with a reference signal and means including motor means responsive to said comparing means for moving a mechanical element in a direction dependent on the difference in magnitude between said unknown signal and said reference signal, the improvement comprising means including a solid state crystal element receiving a variable stress according to the movement of said mechanical element for generating said reference signal.

2. A self-balancing indicator-recorder for an unknown signal comprising a solid state element providing an electrical signal to null out or balance said unknown signal, a circuit for comparing said unknown signal with said electrical signal, a converter for converting any differences between said two signals to an A.C. signal, a two-phase motor, a servo power amplifier for amplifying said A.C. signal to a power level suihcient to drive said two-phase motor, and means for mechanically coupling said motor to said solid state element to apply a small displacement to the surface of said solid state element.

3. A self-balancing indicator-recorder for an unknown signal comprising a solid state element providing an electrical signal to null out or balance said unknown signal, a circuit for comparing said unknown signal with said electrical signal, a converter for converting any dilferences between said two signals to an A.C. signal, a twophase motor, a servo power amplifier for amplifying said A.C. signal to a power level sufficient to drive said twophase motor, means for mechanically coupling said motor to said solid state element to apply a small displacement to the surface of said solid state element, a pointer, and means for coupling said pointer to said motor to indicate the value of said unknown voltage.

4. A recorder as in claim 3 in which said solid state element comprises a gallium arsenide substance.

5. An indicator-recorder for measurement of an unknown voltage or variable translatable into said voltage comprising a temperature stabilized gallium arsenide varactor for providing an electrical voltage proportional to the stress exerted on said varactor utilized as a feedback element, a converter for converting any differences between said voltages to an A.C. signal, a servo amplifier, a self-balancing motor, a piston connected to said varactor, gearing between said self-balancing motor and said piston to apply a stress to said varactor, a pointer coupled to said self-balancing motor, and a scale against which said pointer is referred to indicate or record the value of said unknown voltage or variable.

6, In a self-balancing recorder receiving an input signal of unknown magnitude, a converter for providing an A.C. voltage proportional to any difference between said input signal and a feedback signal, a two-phase servomotor connected to said converter, gearing means connected to said servomotor, a piezoelectric substance, and means coupling said gearing means to said piezoelectric substance whereby said substance provides said feedback signal with a magnitude proportional to the rotational displacement of said motor.

7. In a self-balancing recorder receiving an input signal of unknown magnitude, and having a converter for providing an A.C. voltage proportional to any differences in said input signal and a feedback signal, a two-phase servomotor connected to said converter, and gearing means connected to said servomotor the improvement comprising a transistor, circuit means for connecting said transistor in a common collector conguration having an input and an output providing said feedback signal, means for connecting a D.C. supply across said input, means for connecting said output to said converter, means coupling said gearing means to said transistor so as to apply a variable bodily stress thereto, whereby said output is adjusted to a magnitude proportional to the rotational displacement of said motor.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A SELF-BALANCING ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT FOR INDICATING THE VALUE OF A SIGNAL HAVING AN UNKNOWN MAGNITUDE, SAID INSTRUMENT HAVING MEANS FOR COMPARING SAID SIGNAL WITH A REFERENCE SIGNAL AND MEANS INCLUDING MOTOR MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID COMPARING MEANS FOR MOVING A MECHANICAL ELEMENT IN A DIRECTION DEPENDENT ON THE DIFFERENCE IN MAGNITUDE BETWEEN SAID UNKNOWN SIGNAL AND SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS INCLUDING A SOLID STATE CRYSTAL ELEMENT RECEIVING A VARIABLE STRESS ACCORDING TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID MECHANICAL ELEMENT FOR GENERATING SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL. 